This invention relates to static control garments.
Workers in static-sensitive environments, e.g., electronic assembly plants, often are required to wear both electrically conductive garments, e.g, electrically conductive smocks, and electrical grounding devices, e.g., electrically conductive wrist bands with attached grounding cords, in order to drain static charges that are generated by the workers themselves or that are imparted to them by external sources. Such smocks typically have static-conductive material woven into their fabric to help drain away electrical charges that tend to be generated by rubbing of the material against other clothing, the body, and work surfaces.
Wrist bands typically are made of a conductive fabric with tightening means, e.g, a buckle, to hold them snugly around the wrist. One end of a coiled grounding cord attaches to the wrist band by means of mating metal snaps; and the other end attaches to a central grounding point by means of, e.g., a banana plug.
Although workers generally accept the need to wear smocks, they frequently resist the use of wrist bands with grounding cords because they restrict mobility and make workers feel "tethered". This problem is exacerbated by the effort required--small, but repeated many times in the course of a day--to overcome the mechanical resistance built into the coiled grounding cord. In addition, the grounding cord frequently interferes with the work being done, and sweeps small parts off the work surface.
An object of the present invention is to provide a smock and wrist band grounding system that is comfortable to wear and does not interfere with the work to be done.